Mr Pearce spoke with great passion on this little researched subject. Jews arrived in Cornwall in the 1740’s. A small number disembarked at Falmouth, and one or two at Fowey only to move on promptly to London and elsewhere in England. Others arrived in Cornwall mainly from Continental Europe – Poland and Russia. He analysed the place of Jews in Cornish folklore, and distinguished the Cornish Jews from the indigenous Cornish Gentiles who adopted Hebrew names, but were not known to have been of Cornish descent. In the main the identities, occupations and commercial contribution of those Jews who lived in Cornwall in the 18th and 19th centuries and who settled in Cornwall’s southern ports of Falmouth, Penzance and Truro as well as in Redruth and St. Austell were presented in detail. A lot of information was gained from comprehensive family trees, biographies, public records and membership of civic organisations such as Free Masonry.

All of the Rabbis known to have served in Falmouth and Penzance have been identified; some like Rabbi B. A. Simmons lived in the county for 50 years. Of Jewish Burial Grounds nationally there are only 25 existing Georgian ones outside London that predate the early 19th century. Seven of these burial grounds are to be found in the West Country. Of these, Penzance Cemetery has been recognised as best preserved and it is Grade ll listed. The last burials of members of the congregation were of Bessie Joseph in 1900 and the family of one of the last Rabbis, Isaac Bischofwerder who were interred between 1880 and 1911.

For those wishing to know more about this fascinating subject Keith Pearce has written a comprehensive book called ‘The Jews in Cornwall’.

11th January 2017

The first meeting of the new year was a talk on winemaking in Cornwall. Our speaker was Adrian Derx the proprietor of Knightor Wines. He began his winemaking in Cornwall in 2007, with fields bought at Downderry and Portscatho and planting 6000 vines in the former and 9000 in the latter. Choosing the sites is important as they must be South facing and reasonably sheltered. The vines are planted on the trellis system and trained on wires. The first year the vines are planted there is no yield. The second year pruning and shaping takes place. The third , fourth and Ffifth years cropping begins , with hopefully the fifth year bringing a reasonable crop.

Grape varieties which are grown are mostly Pinot varieties, Gris and Noir and what is called precos. There are also some German Riesling, from which their vermouth is made. Grapes have to bought in’ from other specialised growers not all in Cornwall as the 2 vineyards do not produce sufficient of any variety.Most of the wine produced is white, and some sparkling is made. Rose is a speciality. Temperatures in Cornwall do not generally reach the higher level to produce decent reds.

The Knightor brand developed from the purchase of derelict farm buildings of that name near Treburgie, This has developed in to a vinery and restaurant. It is conveniently placed roughly halfway between the two vineyards and also near to the Eden project. Mr Derx explained that to keep the Cornish brand to the fore they have produced wine bottle labels , based on early maps of the area with the relevant vineyard pinpointed. Members finished the evening with an opportunity to taste a Knightor Rose. Mr Derx hopes to repeat the wine tasting evenings of last year when other wines will be available.

On Wednesday 14th Dec. the Old Cornwall Society celebrated its 40th anniversary with a social event in the Memorial Hall.

Hilary Thompson the society President gave an overview of the setting up of the society and how there had been peaks and troughs with membership and speakers over the intervening years. Hilary has been a stalwart member of the society and spearheaded many projects, the reinstating of the coffin in St Anthony church yard and the enhancement of the village pump in Portscatho to name but two of the many interesting undertakings carried out.

We were honoured to have the company of the Federation of Old Cornwall Societies President, Priscilla Oates. Priscilla said she saw her role as that of a supporter, encourager, innovator and also to drive the society forward into 20th Century. The society is looking at ways to link in with other societies with common interests which would be advantageous to all parties.

The entertainment was provided by Hevva, a group of experienced dancers and musicians who enjoy displaying, teaching and promoting Cornish dance and music. Hevva wore the traditional costume including the “Gook” or headgear of which there are many designs depending on the area they had worked. The dancing was intricate and energetic, some of the braver members of the audience joined in with their final dance!

A superb buffet was provided by the Hidden Hut to round off an excellent evening to celebrate 40 interesting and informative years of Cornish history.